Tennis|Serena Williams Withdraws at Indian Wells and Will Lose No. 1 Ranking

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Serena Williams Withdraws at Indian Wells and Will Lose No. 1 Ranking

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Serena Williams during the United States Open in September.CreditCreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

By The Associated Press

March 8, 2017

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Serena Williams withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday because of a left knee injury, leaving the desert tournament without the world’s top-ranked female player.

The withdrawal also cost Williams a chance to retain her top ranking.

Angelique Kerber of Germany, a two-time semifinalist and now the highest-seeded woman in the event at No. 2, will supplant Williams at No. 1 after the Indian Wells tournament, which begins on Wednesday. Williams needed to reach the semifinals to retain the top spot.

Williams said in a statement released through the tournament on Tuesday that she also would not play at the Miami Open, which begins March 21 and is not far from her base in Florida.

She has been idle since beating her sister Venus Williams for the Australian Open title on Jan. 28. Her only other tournament this year was in Auckland, New Zealand, where she lost in the round of 16.

“Sadly, I have to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Miami Open,” Williams said. “I have not been able to train due to my knees and am disappointed I cannot be there. I will keep moving forward and continue to be positive. I look forward to being back as soon as I can.”

Williams has twice won at Indian Wells, where she returned in 2015 after a 13-year boycott spurred by negative fan reaction. She withdrew before her semifinal match that year with a sprained right knee, and lost to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in straight sets in last year’s final.

Venus Williams, ranked No. 13, returns for the second straight year, having ended her own boycott of the event last year.

Also missing on the women’s side this year is Azarenka, who gave birth to a son in December; the two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, who was attacked in a home invasion late last year; and Maria Sharapova of Russia, who is set to return in late April after serving a 15-month doping ban.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B14 of the New York edition with the headline: Tennis; Injury Sidelines Serena Williams. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe